Neighbor is complaining about soot damage

[KEmerson]

Re: Neighbor is complaining about soot damage

would getting a regular building inspector have a look help? It seems like there's a lot of guessing and no one is expert enough to give a qualified opinion. It shouldn't take much or cost much to just have a qualified person have a look before it gets crazier than it has.

I look forward to the outcome. Many of us have ovens in neighborhoods and this could be an important bit of knowledge for us. Best of luck.

[Faith In Virginia]

Re: Neighbor is complaining about soot damage

Look it costs a lot of money and time to take someone to court. So I hope she has bunches. Most lawyers wont even deal with something like this so at best small claims court and she will need to have proof and you can drag this thing out.

I would add a section or two of pipe to your stove and try to get it over her house then light it up and let her call the fire department, Police, social services or the dog catcher. If your not breaking the law there is not much they can do and she will learn quickly that she does not have many options. Don't let her bully you.

Best of luck

[Grimaldi]

Re: Neighbor is complaining about soot damage

You need to test the 'black spots'...if it is mold, she can threatens all she wants, smoke does not cause mold.

If she is so sure it is soot, I see no logical reason why she would object to either a company that specializes in mold remediation taking a look at it and testing it, or sending off a sample to a lab.

You are in a situation where you are being intimidated and the only way out is to get down to the facts...no more speculation. Why spend anymore time not knowing?

[kebwi]

Re: Neighbor is complaining about soot damage

Well, that's it. She has made it clear that if I so much as light up the oven again she'll call the fire department and then start legal litigation.

I have no idea what to do. I don't know if I'm causing it or not. Admittedly, it looks a lot like mold or fungus, but it also looks a lot like tiny spots of charcoal or ash. The most damning evidence, although this is from her pov, is that it is significantly more serious the day after I use the oven. That might not actually be true, but it doesn't matter.

My yard is very low relative to hers. Smoke from my chimney admittedly hits her house pretty hard.

She has also been pretty thorough about repairing the damage which leaves very little evidence...although she claims to have photos; I haven't seen them.

I'm at a loss. I'm just not the kind of person to entertain drawn out legal battles...

[KEmerson]

Re: Neighbor is complaining about soot damage

Frankly I think she's asking for trouble with press-board (a.k.a. particle board; chip board) as her siding. Isn't press-board usually an under layer for proper siding? I mean, couldn't one more or less poke a #2 pencil into that stuff? Ok, with some effort. It's held together with a glue/resin that, if I recall from my days messing with cheap construction, will fall apart if left to the elements. It's susceptible to mildew, moisture, bugs, bad jokes & curious questions about why anyone would finish a house like that? So I guess I'm suggesting that logic alone dictates mold of some sort. How long has she had this siding as the primary siding? Could its installation coincide with your oven and her problem?

[Faith In Virginia]

Re: Neighbor is complaining about soot damage

I have an odd question. It sounds like she want's something for free like a house painting or she just want to make trouble. So here is my odd question.
Where you live do they have any regulations or restrictions about wood fired outdoor furnaces for home heating. Some places don't allow them due to the low chimney output unlike a house chimney 20' up. So I don't know how that translates to a WFO but if she is looking to make trouble can she go that rout to shut your oven down?

I don' know the elevations involved but if you went higher with your chimney would that help the smoke to pass her house?

[Neal]

Re: Neighbor is complaining about soot damage

Take a sample of it off her house and have it analyzed. It may cost you a few dollars, but I don't imagine it will be anywhere near the cost of repainting her house if it is just a common mold. Make sure she knows what you are doing and that she observes the samples that you take so that when the lab report comes back, she has no argument. If it is mold, tell her politely to shut up and go inside so that you can enjoy your WFO.

BTW....I can't imagine fungus and mold being a foreign concept in Seattle.

[Tman1]

Re: Neighbor is complaining about soot damage

I want a 'like' button for RT's last post.

[RTflorida]

Re: Neighbor is complaining about soot damage

I think Gianni is spot on with the artliiery fungus. A quick google search brings up a wealth of info as well as pictures. This stuff is exactly what you have described. Your neighbor won't be happy, but you will be off the hook.
Don't be surprised if your crackling fires are too noisy (sleep deprivation) or the food smells too good (causing her to excessively snack/eat, jepordizing her health).
Good luck buddy.

RT

[RTflorida]

Re: Neighbor is complaining about soot damage

Keith,
My preconceived notion about WA (Seattle) is that it rains alot (not sure what months), much like it does here in FL. May thru Sept here means daily rains, high temps, dreadful humidity. Along with that comes TONS of mold and mildew. I literally have to clean/pressure wash every square inch of hard surface outside of my home at least 3 times a year. I'm sure you are familiar. I have to believe you are dealing with mold, just can't believe it is soot or any kind of ash fallout.
I do considerable smoking with my oven, not to mention that I am still burning through a huge batch of free poplar that creates huge clouds of acrid black smoke (even when the oven has gone 'plasma').......never have I found soot or ash on my home (15' away) or on my neighbors (30' away).
I feel for you, neighbors like that are exactly why I am not very sociable within my neighborhood. I think you are damned either way - this lady has decided to be a pain in the ass and will find find something to pin on you, even if you demolish your oven.

As long as you are not breaking any laws, I say put the burden of proof on her.....keep firing that baby up.

RT

[Archena]

Re: Neighbor is complaining about soot damage

It's mold - probably the artillery fungus Gianni mentioned. Forget the elaborate set ups - just look at your oven, its chimney and your own house. If it's soot it will be all over those things - and anything closer to the oven than her house. Soot particles large enough to do that kind of travel and be visible will also be large enough to settle out closer to home - in fact you should see a lot of it (unless your chimney is higher than the phone pole - in which case check with the neighbors on the next street! ). Soot smears pretty well but it's not fuzzy - mold often is.

As for proving it, try a light bleach solution in a spray bottle and just spray the icky stuff. If it disappears instantly (and I do mean instantly) it is unquestionably mold. Not all molds act the same so a failure to respond isn't definitive but it would certainly be suggestive that mold wasn't the culprit.

Mold - it's what's not for breakfast!

[Tman1]

Re: Neighbor is complaining about soot damage

Far fetched is right. What if you had a wood burning fireplace installed? Thousands of homes have those. Could she prevent you from using it? If you are within code regulations, I can't see that she can do anything beyond complain. Now, if you want to keep her happy, helping her find out the real problem is .... well, helpful.
I'm also in agreement that by the time 'soot' gets to her house, it wouldn't be hot enough to burn through anything, not to mention it would most prominent on the side facing your house, with lesser amounts as you go around it. Maybe post some pictures of her siding?

[GianniFocaccia]

Re: Neighbor is complaining about soot damage

Keith,

I just finished installing brand new siding to 100% of my parent's house in southern california and was intrigued by your dilemna. I did a google search and found something called artillery fungus. It sounds exactly like what your neighbor has.

Black Spots on Vinyl Siding | DoItYourself.com

[Tscarborough]

Re: Neighbor is complaining about soot damage

Assuming that it is soot, it is composed of pure carbon, and is not on fire or even hot after it leaves the stack, so while she may be getting spots here and there, they won't do any damage at all, other than making it dirty. But I doubt that is what it is.

[kebwi]

Re: Neighbor is complaining about soot damage

Yeah, I dunno. She showed me some tiny black things (that aren't flat spots). They look like caterpillar droppings or something. They are jet black and she's convinced they appear after I fire my oven (on all crazy sides of her house). So it's not just flat spots, it may therefore not be mold. Plus, she has admittedly lived there a long time and says this is new, coincidental with the oven...but there's the fact that it shows up on wall that my smoke doesn't blow anywhere near. Sheesh.

Anyway, I'll take your points under advisement. I'm definitely unclear on how the water trap works. I assume you are describing something similar to a water-pipe or hookah, but I don't really understand how those work either.

Thanks.